Tipaimukh dam to be delayed

No breakthrough on the resumption of the long-delayed project, commissioned in 1984, was achieved in a meeting of river specialists and high-level officials of India and Bangladesh, which concluded in Dhaka yesterday.

A senior official of the Central Water Commission today said at least a two-year delay is now inevitable to restart this project, as the Indian delegation agreed to Dhakaís request to conduct more surveys to build the 162.8-metre high dam.

CWC sources said the Bangladesh government would now go in-depth into the Tipaimukh projectís revam-ped and detailed techno-feasibility report in six volumes, given to Dhaka last August.

Dhaka will now undertake 14 different surveys on the Tipaimukh project. It has also appointed two official bodies for the research.

The project was put on hold in the nineties by the Centre on following requests from the Bangladesh government.

The organisations in Ban-gladesh which will carry out the survey are Centre for Environmental and Geogra-phic Information Services and Institute of Water Modelling.

Sources said the surveys would centre on the water life and wealth of Barak river. The cost of this new survey and research will be 8 crore Taka which will be borne by the Bangladesh government.